Dark Age of Camelot - Garden Gnome Killing Simulator

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Video Games > The MMO HMO > Dark Age of Camelot - Garden Gnome Killing Simulator

I said come in!: Jun 22, 2004

http://darkageofcamelot.com/

The first 20 levels of my time in Dark Age of Camelot was seriously just killing creatures that looked like garden gnomes. :v:

Here is a thread for another MMORPG that no one plays.

DAoC is an MMORPG from 2001. I always wanted to play this title back when it first came out but I was in high school and so did not have the money. Now having disposable income and feeling tired of the current major MMORPGs that are overloaded with too much content, I decided to seek out a classic MMORPG. Dark Age of Camelot came back on my radar because the game is essentially stuck in the early / mid 2000s still. The level cap is 50 and very little in the way of updates are still being made to the game. With the exception of the title going free to play later this year.

Another thing I like about the game is how there are three Realms; Albion, Hibernia, and Midgard. What I like about this is that each Realm has its own unique leveling zones, races, and classes to choose from. This gives a lot of incentive to make alts to check out what each realm has to offer. Currently I am playing on Ywain and have a level 28 Valkyrie. DAoC also use to be pretty unfriendly to more casual players, but this has completely changed. Leveling is faster as the focus is really on the player vs. player. You even get one free level up for each character every 5 days, so this is great for alts. There is also a new player quest line every 5 levels up until about level 35 that gives a lot of good gear, and at level 50 you are given free gear to get you started on your quest towards PvP and doing the battlegrounds.

Classes
Albion:
Armsman
Cabalist
Cleric
Friar
Heretic
Infiltrator
Mauler
Mercenary
Minstrel
Necromancer
Paladin
Reaver
Scout
Sorcerer
Theurgist
Wizard

Hibernia:
Animist
Bainshee
Bard
Blademaster
Champion
Druid
Eldritch
Enchanter
Hero
Mauler
Mentalist
Nightshade
Ranger
Valewalker
Vampiir
Warden

Midgard:
Berserker
Bonedancer
Healer
Hunter
Mauler
Runemaster
Savage
Shadowblade
Shaman
Skald
Spiritmaster
Thane
Valkyrie
Warlock
Warrior

Things I don't like? The UI is awful, and the controls are outdated. The UI has very little to no customization and was designed with low resolutions in mind. This is especially obvious with the world map where you can't make out many of the details, and there's no tooltip pop ups. Most quests will be marked on the map, but it's difficult to see the markers a lot of the time, and they don't tell you which quest is which. Supposedly Mythic is working on a UI update / overhaul for the game, but I have no idea how far they are going to go with this or what they can do with such an old game.

That said i'm really enjoying this game and wondering who else here is playing if at all? I seem to have a thing for playing MMORPGs that no one else is. I've never ran into another player in DAoC. I hangout in the official Discord that Mythic has going, but it's only people complaining and waiting for Camelot Unchained closed beta to start, which is the sort of spiritual sequel to DAoC since it's literally started by the original founder and creator of Mythic Entertainment and DAoC.

# ¿ Jun 26, 2018 04:13

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# ¿ May 10, 2024 13:26

I said come in!: Jun 22, 2004

It goes free to play sometime this fall, but I don't think there's an exact date yet. I hope it draws in more people, it would be cool to see this game be popular again. The setting, races, and classes are awesome but DAoC has a pretty steep learning curve in comparison to more modern day MMOs.

# ¿ Jun 26, 2018 18:15

I said come in!: Jun 22, 2004

Gawain The Blind posted:

I don't know how it behaves now, but originally you could only play one realm per server, I guess to keep people from jumping around in RvR or spying or whatever. So you had to join a different server if you wanted to alt on a different realm- and of course all your friends who joined the game when you did are still back on the other server.

It's still one realm per server, but Ywain 1 - 10 are all connected. So what you are talking about can still happen. Then there is Gaheris which is a co-op server where all realms can play together.

# ¿ Jun 27, 2018 15:04

I said come in!: Jun 22, 2004

Kazvall posted:

If anyone plays Uthgard on Albion, I have a level 50 minst/theurg and a 48 paladin.

I could make an Albion character on that server. Right now I have a Valkyrie that is level 48, and a Hunter that is 30 on Ywain. I am going to just get my Valkyrie to 50 with free levels. Focusing on my Hunter right now. I want to roll a Necromancer.

# ¿ Jul 2, 2018 05:58

I said come in!: Jun 22, 2004

I wish Gaheris had access to Battlegrounds. On that server it's disabled until level 45 where it's just a new form of PvE raids. The trade off is that you get access to all dungeons and zones in the game regardless of your Realm choice, but leveling and obtaining gear is slower then Battlegrounds. The dungeons drop some pretty cool looking weapons though, I got a flaming 2 handed sword a few days ago for my valkyrie. :black101:

# ¿ Jul 2, 2018 15:49

I said come in!: Jun 22, 2004

I forgot uthgard is a free player shard. I don't know if that server has battlegrounds like on Live but if it does that is the best place to get gear and experience, is doing the PvE quests.

# ¿ Jul 3, 2018 01:41

I said come in!: Jun 22, 2004

Jove Tone posted:

The battlegrounds always seemed kind of dead.

That's a good thing unless you're doing PvP. On the live servers the 40+ battlegrounds at least are very active. The level 50 battleground still gets huge player battles going on.

# ¿ Jul 3, 2018 05:46

I said come in!: Jun 22, 2004

PriNGLeS posted:

Yet no one has ever attempted to emulate or replicate daoc pvp systems. Blows my loving mind.

The only other MMO to try was by Mythic themselves, Warhammer Online. I would honestly still keep my subscription to that game if it were still going today. Sadly the free shards for that game are a total clusterfuck that barely work and are filled with drama.

# ¿ Jul 4, 2018 00:35

I said come in!: Jun 22, 2004

My Valkyrie is level 49 on the Live servers. :kiddo:

Getting so close to my first level 50 and I think this weekend i'll be able to find the time to do it. The leveling really seems to slow down once you hit 45. I want to do the quests in the battleground but it's tough because players that have been around for years have the best gear and will gank you in a couple hits.

# ¿ Jul 7, 2018 19:11

I said come in!: Jun 22, 2004

My Valkyrie is 50 now! Babies first 50. :kiddo:

I want to get my level 35 hunter to 50 next and then work on a Vampiir.

# ¿ Jul 8, 2018 17:47

I said come in!: Jun 22, 2004

Battlegrounds are for sure the fastest way to level up in DAoC, but you really want to do it with a group of friends for safety because nothing matters if you run into a sweaty try hard nerd that wants to exclusively PvP. There are a lot of players in this game that just came PvE quest areas looking for people to kill, so you can have your leveling grind to a halt if this is the case.

# ¿ Jul 24, 2018 22:56

I said come in!: Jun 22, 2004

The Ywain servers are all connected, so all that matters is the realm you choose. The PvE content is actually fun! and can be pretty challenging, but very few people do it other than to grind for materials for crafting. The September 2018 update is adding new crafting recipes for high end gear but they are obtained through RvR, along with the materials. When you hit level 50, be sure to hit up your realms king for pretty good armor that typically looks badass.

# ¿ Sep 1, 2018 16:06

I said come in!: Jun 22, 2004

I like melee classes the best in DAoC. I'm finding magic and ranged weapons to be frustrating because they can be interrupted so easily.

# ¿ Sep 4, 2018 06:59

I said come in!: Jun 22, 2004

It's okay if it takes you awhile! There is a lot about DAoC that is not intuitive and really nothing the Broadsword devs can do about it because of the age of the game.

# ¿ Sep 9, 2018 21:20

I said come in!: Jun 22, 2004

FrostyPox posted:

OK so after getting a 4th class to 50 (Paladin) I've decided speed-levelling is a bad idea and I'm just gonna pick another class and try to really understand it in RvR and learn about the other stuff in this game (Atlantis is very cool-looking but really overwhelming). Probably a better idea than having like 10 level 50s I don't know how to play

So maybe I'll look up Soflatos this go around, or maybe play a Hib since when I was dicking around on a low-level Hero I got an offer for help from someone. At this point I'm fairly confident I'd want to main a melee class of some form, or a healer, which is totally bizarro world for me since in all other games I tend to main magic DPS or Archers.

Where are you going to level up classes so quickly? Is there a PvE route comparable to RvR?

# ¿ Sep 29, 2018 06:38

I said come in!: Jun 22, 2004

That's the most frustrating thing about RvR experience grinding is just getting interrupted and jumped by other players.

# ¿ Sep 30, 2018 02:08

I said come in!: Jun 22, 2004

I wanna play Phoenix. I hope this is good since the free to play option on the live server isn't going to be good.

# ¿ Jan 6, 2019 03:38

I said come in!: Jun 22, 2004

I never played DAoC until last year, but I always wanted to play it when it was brand new and I was in high school. I just wish I could play it today without getting loving ganked in the PvP zones. Just let me level up in peace. :mad:

# ¿ Jan 10, 2019 00:44

I said come in!: Jun 22, 2004

How does Phoenix compare to live? What is missing since it�s suppose to be based off an older version of DAoC?

# ¿ Jan 14, 2019 23:24

I said come in!: Jun 22, 2004

vandalism posted:

I got the itch bad today. I reactivated my account on the live server... anyone around?

I was wondering how many people jumped off the live servers to go play Phoenix. I kinda wanna play on Live if everyone went over to Phoenix. :homebrew:

Free uncontested reign over the PvP zones, unlimited quick leveling up without fear of getting ganked.

# ¿ Jan 23, 2019 00:44

I said come in!: Jun 22, 2004

Details of the Free to Play model on Live are available now:

Can play for free on the Ywain server.
Can obtain max realm rank.
Can earn Master Levels and Master Level Abilities.
Cannot earn Champion Levels or Champion Level Abilities.
Can fully participate in PvE encounters or quests and earn endgame loot but cannot earn existing alternate currencies.
Can obtain level 50 but cannot use the /rp off and /xp off commands.
The rate of character progression will also be limited.
Will have "classic" buffing rules.
EC-characters must stay in range and be grouped with any other character that they buff or are buffed by for the buffs to work.
Cannot use existing buff potions.
Can play on any pre-existing character of any class as long as the account was previously subscribed.
Newly created characters are limited to the following classes:
Albion:
Cleric
Friar
Paladin
Sorcerer
Mercenary

Midgard:
Shaman
Healer
Valkyrie
Runemaster
Berserker

Hibernia:
Druid
Warden
Bard
Mentalist
Blademaster

Cannot own or be given permission to access a house or guild house.
Cannot create a guild or be promoted to guild master.
Will have access to all tradeskills except Siegecrafting and Bountycrafting.
Will have access to all three realms on a single account.
One EC-account logged-in per person.
Will not receive veteran-based account rewards.

# ¿ Feb 28, 2019 17:32

I said come in!: Jun 22, 2004

nousername posted:

I loved/love DAOC but their f2p vision is so stupid. no champion levels? Cool, have fun templating without any of the end game gear that requires CL15 (all the weapons/some of the chapter armor/etc). Also god phoenix tore live up and I finally gave in and cancelled all my macro team accounts except for 1. Hopefully pop will pick up soon, but these people on the internal forums and postcount claiming "FREE TO PLAY WILL BRING BACK SO MANY PEOPLE" are living a god drat delusion

I don't like their F2P option either. It should just be free to play with no restrictions to be honest. If I ever play again it'll be on live, but with a sub. Phoenix is great, but it's missing all of the quality of life improvements of Live, and some of the classes and other content. I want to play DAoC with everything intended to be there by the developer.

# ¿ Apr 8, 2019 22:54

I said come in!: Jun 22, 2004

Official Dark Age of Camelot is getting a progression / classic server once free to play launches https://darkageofcamelot.com/article/friday-grab-bag-05242019

# ¿ May 25, 2019 21:42

I said come in!: Jun 22, 2004

If you subscribe, and create every class/race combination you think you want to play, you can keep those characters once you go back to Free to Play.

# ¿ Nov 16, 2019 19:22

I said come in!: Jun 22, 2004

ded posted:

I have a bunch of old chars. It is seemingly random as to which ones I can actually use.

I was afraid my info might have been outdated. :negative:

I swore that was the original plan.

# ¿ Nov 17, 2019 01:30

I said come in!: Jun 22, 2004

ded posted:

Really tho with Phoenix still going pretty strong there is zero reason to play live. At 10pm pst there was 70 people on mid live. On phx there was 140. And none (or very few they really crack down on dual logging) are bots.

I'm afraid that DAOC will die if this F2P change is not successful. However, Ultima Online is still going.

# ¿ Nov 17, 2019 02:10

I said come in!: Jun 22, 2004

My account has always been linked with EA, but I still can't login. I just get an error message that my account is closed. Very frustrating. Not sure how to convert it over to Endless Conquest.

# ¿ Dec 6, 2019 03:33

I said come in!: Jun 22, 2004

That is because Endless Conquest is so inaccessible. 6+ month wait to play free after being subbed, 24 hour wait to login after creating a free account. It started at 2 weeks at first. What a poorly thought out disaster. This poo poo show was delayed an entire year in order to get it right. The devs just dont care.

# ¿ Dec 13, 2019 07:25

I said come in!: Jun 22, 2004

Arawn posted:

Woa, people still play this? We have a presence in this game? I've been itching to come back but haven't managed to get a hold of my old retail accounts.

You want to play on the Phoenix server, that is where all of the goons mostly are that are still playing this.

# ¿ Jul 23, 2020 16:43

I said come in!: Jun 22, 2004

bomb posted:

I�m in FoA as well as Duvall a scout. I�m going to grind plat for a template so if anyone wants to park and soak up some free xp let me know. I�m on the Phoenix discord hit me up.

Once you get around 40 there are lots of DF groups.

Super easy to get into PVP or PVM.

Keep Battles are fun as hell.

This is the kinda DAoC content I like seeing. It's great to see so many people are still playing this.

# ¿ Apr 25, 2021 16:59

I said come in!: Jun 22, 2004

Whoa, that is actually nuts and sounds really impressive. Camelot Unchained claimed to have something like that in the works before it turned out to all be a huge scam.

# ¿ Oct 3, 2022 06:53

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# ¿ May 10, 2024 13:26

I said come in!: Jun 22, 2004

What I really want more than anything is an overhauled UI that is scales properly and more interactive and gives more information to the player. Sometimes you dont even know if an attack has gone off or not, and the zone maps are impossible to use, and everything is too small.

# ¿ Oct 4, 2022 07:42

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